Review

by Elena V

The power to shock is as strong as ever, in a film that raised the bar for others after it.

Based on the novel by Robert Bloch, and independently produced by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho is a landmark of film-making. Having just embezzled money from her employer, Marion hides out at a motel run Norman Bates and his mother. What seems like a quiet place to stay is a lot more dangerous than Marion realises. A classic suspense film, Psycho slowly builds up the tension, as Hitchcock teases the viewer with moments where something expected to happen doesn't, which creates an atmosphere that's brilliantly unnerving. In this way, Hitchcock works on the imagination rather than going for cheap violence, which makes Psycho so effective.